BREAKING: Trudeau says Canada needs mandates 'to avoid further restrictions' in response to calls for freedom

Justin Trudeau responded to the press conference held by a Liberal MP in which he criticized the lack of a clear way out of COVID restrictions, as well as the divisive rhetoric used by members of his party.

Trudeau said that he understood the frustration with restrictions, but said that mandates were necessary to avoid future restrictions.

"I think one of the things we all understand is just how frustrated everyone is. We're all tired of restrictions, of mandates, of having to make sacrifices, of not being able to do the things we love," he said.

"It's been two years, and it's really really tiring for all of us. This government has been focused every step of the way of following the best science and the best public health advice to keep as many people safe as possible and quite frankly, it has worked.

Trudeau said that Canada has seen to "curves lower in Canada than elsewhere... lower death rates... [and] quicker economic recovery because Canadians stepped up."

"Canadians got vaccinated. I can understand frustrations with mandates but mandates are the way to avoid further restrictions... As Canadians get vaccinated, as Canadians have gotten vaccinated, we've been able to get through things. And this team is going to stay focused on doing exactly that."

Earlier today, Liberal MP Joel Lightbound spoke out against his party, calling for the Liberals to give a clear "roadmap" to get Canada out of COVID restrictions.

Lightbound added that he is not the only person uncomfortable with the Trudeau Liberals' handling of the situation, and even went so far as to say that his government was using health mandates and restrictions to "wedge and stigmatize" those who were not submitting to mandates.

"We need to reevaluate all the measures," said Lightbound. "That's essentially my whole point I think we need to have a clear roadmap for when restrictions will be lifted, and this roadmap must take into account what we've seen with the World Health Organization's recommendation, what other countries are doing, it's essential for Canadians to have that understanding of where we're heading and under what conditions and circumstances measures will be lifted," he said.

"What a lot of the anxiety and frustration in the population lies with the fact that some people... are afraid that certain measures are being normalized and that these measures shouldn't be normalized, that they should be extraordinary and limited in time.

"I think that would go a long way in alleviating some of the frustration, and some of the division in our society and some of the polarization. That's essential going forward.

"I'm not advocating for lifting, necessarily, all measures right now. I'm not a public health expert. Im just saying that the government... needs to provide a road map going forward."